The present invention relates generally to a high speed mailing machine of the type that performs a series of discrete operations on mail pieces passing through the mailing machine, and more particularly to a mailing machine that is constructed as a pair of units or modules which are manufactured and shipped to an operational site separately and then assembled and installed at the site.
In a typical high speed mailing machine, mail pieces in the form of envelopes are fed seriatim along a feed deck by suitable feeding devices past a plurality of working stations which usually include an envelope flap opening device, a flap moistening device, a flap closing and sealing device, a postage meter, and a stacking device. The mailing machine may also include a scale for weighing the mail pieces before they pass through the postage meter. A principal advantage of such machines is that they can perform the aforementioned operations on mail pieces at a very high rate of speed, in the order of three to four mail pieces per second, and therefore are very attractive to high volume mailers such as credit institutions, telephone companies, telemarketing operations, etc.
One of the major problems with such machines is that they are large, bulky, heavy and difficult to handle during manufacture, shipping, installation and service. A typical mailing machine of the type with which the present invention is concerned is approximately four feet long, 18 inches in depth and 12 inches high, and weighs about 100 hundred pounds. It is obvious that a machine of these dimensions and weight will present considerable difficulties and obstacles to easy handling during all stages of the manufacture, transportation and installation of the machine. In particular, the efficiency of the manufacturing process is limited because of the fact that the entire machine must be assembled onto a single base, which requires a dedicated assembly line for the entire machine. With regard to transportation, the machine must often be specially packaged, perhaps crated, to assure that it does not sustain any damage, and of course, special care must be exercised in handling and moving the machine. Further, the installation of such a machine at the operational site would require at least two service people to unpack the machine and perform the other necessary tasks to render it operational. Finally, it is often difficult to service machines of this type because of their large size and weight, makes then difficult to handle on site when internal repairs are required. All of these disadvantages and limitations are highly detrimental to the cost effectiveness of the machine and should be eliminated whenever and to the fullest extent possible.
An obvious solution to the foregoing problem is to build a mailing machine of the type described above as separate units or modules which are then transported to the operational site separately and connected together to form a unitary machine. Such modular construction would increase the efficiency of the manufacturing process by allocating the assembly of each module to a different line. Handling and transportation becomes much easier since the machine modules are only half the size and weight of the entire machine (assuming there are two modules to the machine), thereby simplifying the packaging problem and reducing overall shipping costs. Also, it now becomes possible for a single service person to handle the modules with regard to unpacking and installing them at the operational site, thereby greatly reducing the installation costs. Finally, it is much easier for a single service person to handle the modules in connection with any repairs which must be made that require that the machine be moved. It will be apparent that all factors combined, the manufacture, shipping, installation and service of modular units can greatly enhance the cost effectiveness of the overall mailing machine.
It has been found that a major problem inherent in modular construction of mailing machines is the manner in which the modules are assembled and locked together. Many different types of connecting systems have been tried and discarded for one reason or another, usually that they were lacking in sufficient strength to hold the modules together securely during hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of cycles, that they did not maintain proper alignment for registration of the feed paths of the modules, that they required partial disassembly of the modules to effect the connecting procedure, or that they involved many parts and were rather difficult and complex for the service person to handle effectively on site. It soon became apparent that what was needed was a connecting mechanism that overcame these problems and provided the required strength, maintained proper alignment of the modules, did not require any disassembly of the module to use and was easy to manipulate.